Pros And Cons Of Exceptionalism In America

Improved Essays
Register to read the introduction… A lot of people would like to argue that we are the best in a lot of arenas. If you look at another one of our prized freedoms the freedom of press, it might be surprising how little freedom of press our nation really has. How the press is just a tool used to feed us what the government needs us to be fed, and to hide all the things that the government thinks we don’t need to know. A lot of people would argue that our government is one of the best in the world but the recent shutdown might hinder that argument. The government is a group of adults who argue all day. America’s government doesn’t argue for the people but for the companies and lobbyist that line their pockets. A lot of people would love to argue that we have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. If a person can afford that healthcare then maybe we do. The real issue is how few Americans have access to insurance or medical care. A lot of people like to argue that America is the best when it comes to aiding other countries, any amount of research can prove this to be untrue, but luckily or “free media” makes sure that we only see the best of humanitarian aid. If America is really exceptional why are so many American children hungry? Why are so many American children living in poverty? We live in an America where the richer are getting richer, and the middle class is shrinking. Where it is getting more expensive to live yet the minimum wage and living wage don’t match up. America is so exceptional that homelessness and joblessness is at an all time high. America is so great where our school systems are not even close to as great as other schools systems across the world. Our kids are not learning at the same pace as others and school funding is not even close to being on top of the list of priorities of our …show more content…
We are taught in elementary school that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and found us this great land. We were taught how the Indian people taught us how to grow corn and get the best use out of the soil. We colored pictures of Pilgrims and Indians enjoying a great Thanksgiving dinner together. Teachers don’t like telling children that the Indians were slaughtered so we could have our city on top of the hill. Teachers also teach us about slavery and how horrible it was. They forget to mention that slavery played a part in rich people getting richer, or how a lot of companies would never have made it without the slaves working for the White man. We are taught about the German keeping Jewish people in concentration camps, but it is left out that America was doing the same to the Japanese. America is a nation built of immigrants but America even limited who could come to America. Not letting in races they saw as trouble, or mentally ill people who might tarnish the exceptionalism. We are a nation that hails the Bill of Rights as one of the greatest documents. People don’t seem to realize how many of those guaranteed freedoms have been altered by a government that no longer works for the people. It can be argued that every nation probably feels that they are the exceptional one. It is easy to see why so many American feel that America is the greatest, because it is something that we have been told our entire lives. If we look at America through the lenses that have been provided for us then America really is the best and superior. If those glasses are removed it is easily seen that American exceptionalism is nothing but a

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    We truly are the land of the free and the home of the brave. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a country that has shown me the best of times and but also the worst of times, yet my love for my country has never wavered. Even through the worst of times, we as a country have overcome which inspires me on so many levels. The United States of America was founded nearly 300 years ago, which in itself is pretty spectacular.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As the Americans were creating their new government, they kept the features of the government they did not want in mind. They wanted to ensure that their government was very different from the monarchy that Britain had by trying to make a central government where its powers were not necessarily weak, but where the power rested in the people. Another feature that the Americans did not want in their new government was unequal representation. They despised the lack of representation they had in Parliament, and as they created their new government they ensured that every state was represented equally so the concerns of the people could be properly addressed. Because of this, the American public was adamant that the new government’s powers were…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unlike the way John Stossel sees it in his documentary, Is America Number One, America is no longer the greatest country in the world. While we are better off than some of the countries that there are out there such as India, a country that is so overpopulated that it is hard to even compare the two countries, we are still not at the top of the list, literally. As we were once known for freedom and equality for all people, incredible political leaders, and rankings far ahead of other countries, we as Americans seem to forget that times have changed and that other countries have caught up to us. One of the main arguments that is brought up when people are asked why America is so great is freedom and equality. Yeah, it is fantastic that we are free but... were not the only ones.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the Cold War, the US and its neoliberal capitalist agenda were out to eliminate any trace of socialism and communism, no matter the cost or consequences. In 1973, Chile was under the rule of Salvador Allende, a democratically elected socialist leader. In the hysteria of possible socialist/communist spread to the US, the American government executed a coup d’état leading to the death of Allende. To force Allende out of office, the CIA worked to destabilize Chile’s economy in order to force a neoliberal leader that supported the US economic policy and benefits. This gave the US the opportunity to appoint brutal dictator Augusto Pinochet who would rule Chile for seventeen years.…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Pros and Cons of American Imperialism America is one of the most powerful nations of the world. Its sheer size, economy, territories, and technological advancements make it so influential that many smaller nations or cultures look up to America as if it were a god. Many decades ago, America established its dominance over other nations, particularly during the two world wars by showing off its military prowess and interfering with what are supposedly local affairs of other governments. Imperialism is more of a negative idea than a positive one – it signifies a nation's thirst for expansion at the expense of others.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From Whence we Came Famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great” (qtd. in Carson 651). In “Recovering America’s Exceptionalism,” Dr. Ben S. Carson explains that our Judeo-Christian roots and values are what set America apart from all other countries. These values include decency, honesty, compassion, and fairness.…

    • 1026 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Outline Thesis: This kind of exceptionalism is what is being taught to students throughout the nation and is having a negative effect on both the ability to learn as well as the ability to comprehend US history. 1. Introduction of flawed educational system a. Flaunting American Lifestyle b. Future Generations c. Inaccurate version of US history 2. Problems of flawed system a. Global reputation at risk b. Role in politics c. Valued as priority 3. Effect on nation a. Nationwide dilemma b. Varies throughout states…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On August 5, 1585 Jane Langley had witnessed one of the most scariest and disappointing events she could remember. 118 colonist, including herself, that had been hoping for a better life in America had just arrived in Roanoke; an island off the coast of North Carolina. As Jane and her family waited on the supply ship to come in, she watched her little brother. Her brother was a short, blond, four year old who knew nothing on what was going on. All of a sudden she heard her mother scream in panic and saw her father and every man that could, run to the shore.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    American exceptionalism can be a contributing factor leading them to want to excel even on trade. Nevertheless, trade is not about who is the winner in the game, trade is about who has a better comparative advantage. In the eyes of the world, America’s number one place is getting obscured by that of China to the point that Americans see it as a backlash. In reality China is changing so rapidly that I am afraid America will be able to keep up with China. But China’s rapid growth should not be an intimidating factor for America, and as the author stated “Stop Blaming China and India”.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1) Hamilton argues that the electoral college was created specifically to elect the president and was voted on by the people so that such an important decision was being made my official that the represent the people. He also asserts that this small group of educated electors would better able to analyze the necessary factors to determine if a candidate would make a good president. Basically he is saying that the electors are more educated then the masses and the masses trust them to make decisions because they voted on them. The electors are also unbiased because they were selected purely for the purpose of selecting the next president which prevents their votes from being bought beforehand.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Immigration Satire

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages

    America is known to be the best country in the world,but is that really true or is this just an opinion. Some might say this is fact,but many are willing to oppose. The America is a land of opportunity and it really shows compared to all the countries that have a lot corruption and very little freedom. Questioning our government is a huge thing that is going on and how our government is wrong, so is our America really a country of opportunity or is it disguised as one? If our country seems to be so great then why are there people like Edward Snowden coming out and saying that our country has problems?…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Begining the entry of the primary Europeans, the Plight of the Native American's has been managed not without anyone else's input but instead by the early colonialist and the future youthful country the United States would move toward becoming. Show Destiny and American Exceptionalism drove the nonmilitary personnel and government dispositions towards the Native American's and their territories. The U.S. Government has and still is constantly endeavoring to take, control and oversee lands saved for the Native American individuals in light of the trust they could oversee it better. Or, on the other hand in truth when they discovered something of significant worth upon those terrains to be misused. Native American's were cleared beside their territories, driven back over the considerable gap and into the grounds of different tribes by the colonialization of American expansionism.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “There are more than 45,000 deaths a year due to the lack of health care, 44 million uninsured Americans, and another 38 million Americans with inadequate health insurance” (The Uninsured). While it may not sound like many deaths for a big country like America, these are deaths directly caused because they did not have the resources in order to obtain it nor the help they need. A quarter of the population of America does not have the protection they should deserve People are forced into terrible situations because of the fear of not being able to pay medical bills or increased insurance rates. The citizens that have been doomed thanks to the health care system of the United States of America have been waiting long enough for an adaption of…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Concept of American Exceptionalism Kelly Holmes PS 1030 FALL 2016 American Exceptionalism is a term that has been more commonly used within the past few decades. American exceptionalism is a basically a concept that is used to manipulate the American public and to guide them in a direction that is beneficial for the leaders or America in many ways. The concept is over-glorified and hides the fact that America is more ordinary than exceptional. It is used as a tactic for leaders to gain power. They can also use it to gain territory.…

    • 1617 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    School. If you live in the United States, you have probably encountered going to school in any shape or form due to our laws of compulsory education. However, many argue that our education system is not as great as it should be. As America is one of the worlds most developed countries, yet we still constantly fall beyond is rankings of education. Why is this?…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays